White Nationalists Attack Chicano Park

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On February 3rd 2018, a San Diego based far right group that goes by the name of “Bordertown Patriots,” made the decision to host “Patriotic Picnic 2.0” in Barrio Logan. They met up at the San Diego Convention Center and marched their way down to Chicano Park. Chicano Park is located under the Coronado Bridge on Logan Avenue in Barrio Logan.

They hosted this picnic with the intention of rallying against the Chicano movement, specifically the Chicano Park Flag. They also believe that the murals at Chicano Park are anti-American because they believe that they promote things like open borders and Marxist beliefs (supposedly) and Nazism (ironically?). And they’d like to see the murals removed or destroyed.

Junior Alfonso Viquez said, “It’s a historic park within the Latino community, that’s been enjoyed by many. Removing the murals from Chicano Park would simply be like removing the Eiffel Tower from Paris, because they’re a main attraction.”

In retaliation, the Brown Berets National Organization organized a counter-protest called, “No Nazis,” on the same day. The San Diego Police estimated that about 700 people showed up in total, but only 50 or so were “picnickers.” Barricades were setup to separate the two groups.

Prior to “Patriotic Picnic 2.0,” another San Diego based far right group hosted the very first Patriotic Picnic on September 3, 2017.

Chicano Park consists of lots of many colorful and cultural Latino murals. According to the U.S. Department of interior, Chicano Park was designated as a historic landmark because “it depicts a broad range on America’s rich, complex history.”

Senior Amanda Sabin said “The United States is a melting pot of international cultures, so the Mexican culture beautifully represented in the Chicano Park murals is inherently American. If we’re removing things for being Anti-American, we should expel the white supremacists because their hateful ideology goes directly against the unity we value as Americans.”

Clairemont High School Spanish teacher, Karina O’Campo said, “Chicano Park is a preservation of our culture and history; the white supremacists are ignorant when they claim to want to get rid of it because its ‘Anti-American’ and ‘Pro-Communist.’”

Three arrests were made at Chicano Park that day as an outcome of the Patriotic Picnic and counter-protests. According to the San Diego Police Department, one of the arrests occurred after a police officer was punched in the face. Another one of the arrestees was arrested for possession of a billy club and the third was arrested for resisting arrest. The police did not state the group that the arrestees belonged to.